Mrs. Kiwi, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation in 06: 27, Bookkeeper
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LA
Engagement Date: March 31, 2006
Wedding Date: November 3, 2007
Venue: Radisson Hotel
About Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
Who You Callin’ A Chicken?
April 6th, 2007 @ 12:45 pm by Mrs. Kiwi
This morning I was dutifully reading my new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and I saw an ad for “KP Duty.” KP stands for Keratosis Pilaris. What is KP? In its nonmedical term, it’s a skin condition called “chicken skin.” That doesn’t really help, does it?
Well, from the website Help for KP, it is a skin condition in which the body makes too much keratin, causing blocked hair folicles on the upper and outer parts of the arms and thighs. It is an inherited condition and affects as many as 1 in 2 people, if one parent has the condition. It makes the skin feel like it has permanent goosebumps, and sometimes feels itchy. It is harmless and not infectious. Just mildly annoying. 
Here is a pic of an affected arm, so you can see where the “chicken skin’ term comes from. I have this, and it is a pain. I’ve recently been wondering what I could use to make my skin smoother for my strapless dress come W-Day. From what I’ve read, many things can help with KP, like KP Duty, or Neostrata Ultra Smoothing Lotion, or even Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Plus Intensive Repair Creme, found over the counter in most drug stores. You can find many more treatments here.
I think I’m going to try the KP Duty thing, and I’ll tell you guys how it works. I’ve always wondered what this skin issue was, as I’ve always had sensitive skin issues, and I hope this gets rid of some of it.
31 Responses to “Who You Callin’ A Chicken?”
One thing that helps my skin to look better (I have the same problem) is to use Neurtogena Norwegein (sp?) formula lotion. It’s really moisturizing and it’s helped a lot.
Huh–I didn’t know there was a name for that! Now I’ll have to check some of those products out. I’ve got it on my thighs.
OMG!! I have that too and I don’t want to be all bumpy for my wedding!! I am going to try KP Duty too. Thanks for the tip!!
UGH! I have that too! My dermatologist has told me that it can get better/worse during certain times of the year. I think mine is *less* red in the summer, although I could be mistaken. I actually have an appointment with her to tackle the problem head-on! I figure I have a year to make the ugly skin on my arms less noticeable. Thank you so much for the OTC tips!!
I have that, too, and have always wondered what it was. I thought I was just cursed with perpetually bad skin. Thanks for the tips! I’m going to put them to use and hope my arms are better looking for my wedding day. 
i’ve tried neostrata (not the lotion but some other product) and it didn’t really work for me, but i wasn’t very diligent about it applying it. i tend to give up if i don’t see drastic results in a couple weeks. 
amlactin or lachydrin sort of worked (i guess anything with acids helps slough away skin). i’ve read on some sites about applying extra virgin coconut oil in the shower, but haven’t tried it. keep us updated on the kp duty!
SCRUB
I have “chicken skin” on my upper arms. I had worries about this after I ordered my strapless gown. I went on some dermatology sites and saw the recommendation to use a body scrub on it. Often. Any scrub. I have been doing it almost everyday and it has helped tame the bumps. They are minimized and in some areas gone. After a shower I use Aveno lotion/cream on them. This also seems to be healing them. It takes time to handle a skin condition, so as I have been doing this for about three weeks or so, it has been slowly going away or seems managed. If I stop for a few days it appears to return, so keep it up. Hope this helps.
Ah-ha! Now I know what it is that my BF has on his legs… he doesn’t really care whether or not he has it, but I feel better knowing now.
I have the same thing–everyone in my family does.
My derm gave me a cream to use for around the wedding.
She said it will only last for a short amount of time, like a few days, but thats all I need
I can’t wait to see how that cream your using works though.
This is so funny! I have it too and never knew what it was called. I used to not wear sleeveless shirts because of this. Typically in the summer my tan covers my bumps. I’m going to tell my friends about this - we usually just called it bumaptitus…
I have this too - and after seeing recent pictures from my sister’s wedding I was worried about it for my wedding too! Thanks for sharing some possible remedies!
I never knew what this was called. My FI has it and he said it was just the way it was and wasn’t concerned, except that it gets itchy/dry at times. I am going to have him give some of this a try. Thanks.
I tried KP Duty and it did nothing. I’ll probably just put foundation on my arms that day.
Let us know if you have any luck — clearly, there are loads of us with the same problem. Mine is very mild on my arms, but worse on the skin on my legs right above the knees — as such, I generally avoid wearing short skirts or shorts. These suggestions are very helpful as I will soon have to be dusting off the shorts for my local softball league.
Thanks for the post Miss Kiwi, i have kp, so does FI and my sis. Now i know what’s its called. I think my case is mild but i’m going try one of the ones you suggested. do you know where i can get KP duty in san francisco?
Keep us posted about how the KP Duty works and anything else you try.
Thanks again!
that’s really funny, because I was sure they were referring to dishpan hands, as KP is military slang for Kitchen Patrol.
thankyouthankyouthankyou! i’ve always wondered what this was, and always just figured it was the bad skin genes in my family. i hope that eucerin lotion works!
i have chicken skin, too. my mom used to joke that i got chicken skin because when she was preggers with me, she kept craving chicken. neither of my brothers have it, so i’m the lucky one.
the only thing that works for me is lotions with some sort of chemical exfoliant, like alpha hydroxy or glycolic acid… so the two lotions your recommended (the neostrata and the eucerin) should work equally well. i personally use a suave brand lotion - i forget which one - but it’s really cheap and it also has alpha hydroxy in it.
the problem is, you absolutely have to use it daily. if you forget a few days here and there, it won’t really be effective. the purpose is to slough off the build up of cells and also prevent it from accumulating. i always forget to put lotion on, but once in a while, i’ll go for a week, remembering to do it daily, and my arms and thighs will look great. then i forget again, and it goes back to the way it was.
there’s no permanent cure, unfortunately.
I was able to dramatically improve the appearance of my chicken skin by using Neutrogena’s New Hands lotion, which contains AHA. I do a dry loofah exfoliation each morning, and apply the lotion after my shower and before bedtime.
I use this http://www.cosmeticscop.com/shop/product.asp?CODE=PC590&PAGETYPE=S
or this http://www.cosmeticscop.com/shop/product.asp?CODE=PC570&PAGETYPE=S
and it works great for me. Religiously twice a day leading up to my wedding with good scrubbing and exfoliating in the shower too!
Another thing that helps for me is soap with sulfur in it. I use a bar from http://www.sulfursoap.com that has 10% sulfur on the backs of my arms whenever I take a shower, and afterwards I moisturize with the Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Body Complexion lotion. That lotion has AHAs in it, and I think they definitely help. The soap costs about $4 a bar, and since I just use it on my arms it lasts forever.
Peachy is absolutely right–if you don’t use it every day, it doesn’t work. You can use it once in the morning and once in the evening once you know you won’t react oddly to it, if need be.
Starting about 6 months before my wedding, I religiously used Glytone Bady Wash & Moisturizer from http://www.glytone.com and it totally worked!
Using that paired with having a good tan made my arms appear smooth and not chicken-skin-like at all! It’s a great product! However, I do agree with the previous posters, you have to use it every day or the chicken skin will come right back.
LOL.. this is too funny, I saw that ad too last weekend and it was like a light went off.. OH! That’s what I have!
anyways, I spoke with some girls on my local Boston.com wedding board and a few said that the KP duty didn’t work any better than the cheaper drugstore alternatives you listed.
So, I bought the Eucerin Lotion, and I’ve been using it right after i get out of the shower for about 4 days now, and I can tell it’s already helped reduce the number of bumps. I’m sold! Although I would recommend getting the lotion version, I have the cream and it takes FOREVER to dry. My sleeves are sticking to my arms as we speak 
Hi! I’m a pathologist, and all the studies say that AmLactin is a great lotion for KP. I’m trying it on my hubby now — I’ll let you know how it goes. But the dermatological studies DO support this cream. I get it at Costco for a huge price cut.
Miss Kiwi, any updates on how your KP Duty is working?
[…] morning I received a request for an update on my KP arms. Oddly enough, as I was showering yesterday (sorry for the mental image), I thought to myself, […]
I have something like the Chicken skn on my arms and thighs. I use one of those bath scub things. It has helped my skin smooth out a little and the bumps aren’t that noticable. Also i use
I have something like the chicken skin on my arms and thighs. I use one of those bath scrub things. It has softened the skin and its not really red anymore. I also use Avon Moisture Therapy Skin Bump Minimizer lotion riht after showering. It softens where you have bumpy skin. You should really try these things! Thanks for all the new tips. P.S. I tried the KP lotion and it didn’t work at all. It just made my skin sting after a few weeks. I think i’m going to try the Eucerin lotion next to see if anything improves.
I used the Eucerin lotion diligently before my wedding over the summer and it worked well. I exfoliated the bumpy skin in the shower with a scrub a few times a week too, before finishing with the Eucerin lotion after it was dry. I’m starting to get back in the habit of doing this little ritual again because it really does make a difference and now that the weather is getting warmer I want my arms smooth! I never tried the KP lotion, it seemed awful pricey.
It’s really funny reading all these comments about everyone shocked to find out what it is. KP truly is a wretched beast that is very hard to tame; it draws off of the insecurities in others. I started a website similar to the one you mentioned for KP that you can view by clicking my name.
BTW, I love your template, Kiwi!
I have “chicken skin” aswell, it seems to be getting worse.. it never usto bother me a couple years ago but now im noticing it more and same with other people…. one time some guy asked my what the f*** is on your arm… it made me feel very self consious… and it’s getting worse on my arms and now im starting to get it on my legs…. i wisshh there was something that would make it go away =(
